To celebrate the International Day of Democracy, the State Department and its Democracy is… partners unveiled the 12 winners of the Democracy Photo Challenge. The Photo Challenge asked people around the world to complete the phrase “Democracy is…” in an image. Winning photos and more information about the initiative can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/democracyphotochallenge .

On display in the South Lobby of the United Nations beginning today, the 12 regional winners competed with nearly 3,000 entries from 131 countries. A high-level independent jury narrowed the field of submissions to 36 finalists representing each region of the world. The online public then voted for their favorites. In all, more than 500,000 people participated in the voting.

Western Hemisphere: Ian M. Cunningham, United States and Wladia Drummond, Brazil

The State Department established the Democracy is… initiative, a unique public-private partnership, to engage people around the world in a global conversation on democracy. The initiative’s goal is to empower a global audience to share views on democracy by asking people to complete the phrase “Democracy is…” The initiative includes video, Twitter, and photo contests; social media communities on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms; and activities at democracy and youth conferences as well as at cultural events.